Leadership Competencies Assessment
Values and Purpose
I value many things, but perhaps the most essential is the love I have for the woman I have become and continue to grow into. I also value honesty and integrity, freedom and spirituality, wisdom, and learning. My dual purposes directly relate to these values. My first purpose, at this point in my life, is to continue learning ways I can improve both my life and me. My second purpose is to share my knowledge and wisdom with others. I have a past that many of my students can relate to, so I plan to use honesty and integrity to gain their trust and help them learn and grow.
Strengths
Of all my strengths, I found teaching, learning, and strength of character to be the most important in my life. Helping people, acting with integrity, leading others and a great deal of intrinsic motivation complete my top seven strong points. “The Kouzes-Posner First Law of Leadership: If you don’t believe in the messenger, you won’t believe the message. (2007, p 38) I want to use my integrity and strength of character to show people that I have a message worth listening to.
Credibility is the key whether one is modeling the way, inspiring a shared vision, challenging the process, enabling others to act, or encouraging the heart. “The Kouzes-Posner Second Law of Leadership: DWYSYWD: Do What You Say You Will Do (p.41). People must be able to believe in you before they will follow you. Honesty, wisdom, and leading from a place of knowledge will help me develop the credibility I’ll need to lead into the future.
My development plans include finding a Capella coach, finding a workplace mentor, establishing a GROW coaching group at school, and developing effective lesson plans for next year. On a more personal note, I plan to lose weight, and begin to adopt a healthier lifestyle that includes regular exercise. Kouzes and Posner (2007) tell us that the most desired qualities in a leader are honesty, innovation, inspiration, and competence. I can use these characteristics as I develop as a leader and learn to inspire others as well.
My assessment scores were right in keeping with my own opinions about my strengths and the ways I can develop them to become a better leader. To develop myself as a leader, I need to be open to all the possibilities within the world and myself. As I learn ways to motivate others, and help them develop their own strengths, I will in turn become a more effective leader.
Current Situation
I currently work as a schoolteacher. I never thought I would be a teacher and would have never considered this as a career choice, but the position fell into my lap last September, and I have been determined to make the best of it. 
What started out as a part-time, temporary position has turned into a full-time career and a path for the future. I’m excited that I’ve been asked to return in an expanded role next year and can’t wait to start working on my plans for the future.
Although I don’t hold a leadership position within the school, I still see this as an arena where I can develop my leadership skills. One thing I’ve already initiated is a GROW coaching group that will meet once per month to discuss ways we can improve our school. There has been a great deal of interest, and I hope to hold our first meeting before the school year ends.
Another way I plan to strengthen my leadership effectiveness is to go into the new school year with a plan. When I started in September, I was thrown into the classroom to sink or swim. There was no initiation, no prior training, and because my subject is not a core class, there was no set curriculum. I had to make up lesson plans as I went and was often making up lessons on the fly. Now that I’ve had the opportunity to assess the need and have a better grasp of what the students need to learn, I can spend the summer creating effective lesson plans. Going in with a strategy will help develop my credibility and will help me keep the kids on track.
Conclusion
I really don’t have any experience as a leader. I’ve never held a position of authority, and I’ve never been in a place where I needed to inspire others. That’s all changed now. I am now a leader and a person of authority, and I want to do the best I can in the position. I can learn to strengthen my effectiveness by listening to what others expect from me without giving up any of my own beliefs. I hope to continue to grow as we learn more about the 5 Leadership Practices, so I can effectively lead these kids into the future.
